(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the technical field of devices designed for the holding of ammunition. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of devices designed to retain and secure ammunition magazines to the person, clothing, or gear of a user.
(b) Background Art
The prior art in the technical field consists largely of devices for the retention and securing of ammunition magazines comprising a pouch having an upward-oriented opening, a flap mechanism that obstructs the upward-oriented opening when the flap mechanism is engaged and closed, means for fastening the flap mechanism in a closed position and means of attachment whereby the pouch is either an integrated feature of the clothing of a user or may be otherwise attached to the clothing or accessories worn by a user.
The aforementioned prior art, while functional as a device to retain and secure ammunition magazines, leaves much to be desired in ease of use and speed of access to a stored magazine. Namely, the flap mechanism prevalent in the prior art effectively restrains an ammunition magazine from falling out of the pouch through the upward-oriented opening, however, the flap mechanism also obstructs a user from quickly and efficiently grasping the magazine when needed to transfer the magazine from the pouch to an otherwise unloaded weapon. Further, the flap mechanism prevalent in the prior art requires at least two dedicated user motions for the task of negotiating the flap mechanism—a first motion to unfasten the flap mechanism, and a second motion to restrain the flap mechanism from continuing to obstruct user access to the magazine contained within the pouch. These two additional motions are unnecessary in the primary goal of grasping, transferring, and loading an ammunition magazine into an unloaded weapon. In combat circumstances the delay occasioned by the two additional motions necessary to negotiate the flap mechanism can be the difference between life and death for a user.
Also known in the prior art are devices for the retention and securing of ammunition magazines comprising a pouch having an upward-oriented opening, no flap mechanism, and means of attachment whereby the pouch is either an integrated feature of the clothing of a user or may be otherwise attached to the clothing or accessories worn by a user. Devices of this type are frequently configured so that the volume within the pouch approximates the volume of a particular ammunition magazine designed to fit within the pouch. In this sense, the pouch without flap mechanism known in the prior art attempts to provide a tight fit for the contemplated ammunition magazine and, by virtue of the force of friction between the interior of the pouch and the magazine therein contained, endeavors to securely retain and store the ammunition magazine.
While the above-referenced devices featuring a pouch without a flap mechanism known in the prior art dispense with unnecessary motions in negotiating the flap mechanism and thereby improve the speed and efficiency whereby a user might grasp, transfer and load an ammunition magazine into an unloaded weapon, the omission of the securing flap leaves the ammunition magazine insecure and vulnerable to jarring or forces that might inadvertently cause the ejectment or loss of the magazine through the top opening of the pouch. Further, the tailoring of the pouch in these devices to ensure a tight fit for a specific magazine begets a lack of universality in ability to securely retain and store ammunition magazines of varying shapes and sizes. Each pouch tends to be designed for a particular size and shape of magazine and, therefore, a single user may need to acquire several of these devices in varying sizes and designs to effectively secure, store and retain a variety of differing magazines.
Further, the prior art features a precursor to the now disclosed invention, the precursor comprising a pocket defined by a front panel, a back panel, a left panel, and a right panel, each of approximately equal length top-to-bottom, a bottom panel and a top opening, biasing means whereby the left and right panels are biased toward one another, biasing means whereby the front and back panels are biased toward one another, and means of attachment whereby the pocket may be attached to a person or object. The effect of the inwardly biased left and right panels and the inwardly biased front and back panels is to create a pouch that is constantly squeezing any item placed within the pouch. Because the pocket defined by the inwardly biased panels need not be specifically tailored for any particular ammunition magazine, the embodiment exhibits universality in use to secure, store and retain a variety of differing shapes and sizes of ammunition magazines. Further, the inwardly biased paneling of this precursor embodiment yields a pocket wherein the force of friction between the interior of the pocket and the magazine contained is substantially higher than that of a mere tight fit induced by a pouch designed to fit a particular magazine as also known in the prior art. The result of this enhanced frictional force between the interior of the pocket and the magazine contained is that the magazine is more securely held and less susceptible to ejectment or loss through jarring or other inadvertent force acting upon the device or the magazine.
While the identified precursor prior art represents a significant improvement over the other prior art known, the precursor prior art has its own shortcoming in that the design tends to cause loss of ammunition from the magazine during transfer of the magazine from the precursor pocket to the unloaded weapon. Modern ammunition magazines are nearly universally configured to be rigid in composition, slender and elongated in shape, and having a first end wherein the magazine housing is completed enclosed and a second end wherein the ammunition contained within the magazine housing is exposed. Ammunition magazines are frequently stored in magazine pouches, pockets and holders so that the magazine end having ammunition exposed is at the bottom of the pocket, pouch or holder. As described, the now discussed precursor prior art has the shortcoming that the inward biasing of the left and right panels defining the pocket coupled with the equivalent, or nearly equivalent, top-to-bottom length of all four panels defining the pocket, results in the frequent catching of a round of ammunition on the inwardly biased left or right panel and the subsequent dislodging of the round of ammunition from its otherwise securely stored position within the magazine. Upon the motion of a user transferring the magazine from the precursor device to an unloaded weapon, the biased left and right panels defining the pocket of the device constantly squeeze any object positioned between the panels and progressively shift from clamping the exterior rigid body of the magazine to clamping upon the exposed round of ammunition as the body of the magazine slides out of the pocket in transition to the weapon. As with the introduction of two additional motions necessary to negotiate the flap mechanism in the other known prior art, the loss or waste of ammunition caused by the clamping of the precursor prior art device upon an exposed round will cause a user to either (i) waste time recovering and reinserting the dislodged round into the magazine, or (ii) run out of ammunition sooner, each result possibly causing the unnecessary wounding or death of the user in a combat circumstance.